Sunday, December 28, 2008

In the old days, (lets say 8 years ago)... most hardware didn't work on linux except with a LOT of work. In those days, stuff used to "just work" on windows. However, these days, things don't "just work" on windows... You need to install drivers (back then windows had about a list of 100 vendors per device, and had a something that should work with your hardware)... These days, you need to download a driver from the internet (which you may had to do then too - but then it was 1mb), and they come pricy when it comes to bandwidth. 45mb for a driver? You must be f#%king kidding me... Wait... you have a hardware abstraction layer you have to connect to... how hard can it be? 45mb?!!! The *whole* linux kernel is less than that (I believe... I think it's 27mb).

I'll be just naming the product I have in mind here... HP OfficeJet 4255 all-in-one. I think it's a shame that driver sizes has increased as much as they did. I don't know whether to blame windows or the companies, but the bottom line is: linux does it with much less bandwitdh, and probably much less effort.

The fact is just that linux is getting with the hardware curve, and windows is almost falling behind it. (And the vendors creates the drivers themselves!)

Thursday, December 18, 2008

I've got a miniature boule set. I bought it marked down at Edgars... Anyway, it doesn't have the "target" ball.

So, I have six marble sized balls, with which I want to play boule (or a similar game).

So I've devised these rules (they are not yet refined but bare with me):* Players alternate throwing (this may need to change?)* The player with the most balls creating the smallest triangle (in circumference) gets 1 or 2 points (1 for having 2 of the 3 "points", and 2 if he has all 3 points).

Throwing last seems to be a big advantage... I'll be testing these rules over the holiday, and I'll give a follow up post on how it goes.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

In the software community, (especially the free software community) there has been great amounts of talk about what is free software. GNU and Richard Stallman has a definition, and so has our "common sense"... what is free? Well, it costs nothing, but according to GNU it doesn't *have to be without cost*. For them the true freedom is to be able to do what you want, and add and edit what you want with the software (for this case I'll add knowledge to it).

I never quite understood it. Why would anyone ever stand in the way of this type of freedom? I still don't know why people would stand in the way... but what I do understand now, is why Richard Stallman is so fanatical about being given the freedom.

I've been trying to push a freedom of knowledge base... and some people (who are responsible for documenting systems etc.) cannot seem to fathom that wiki-based knowledge is 1) empowering for those who use it (they can teach themselves stuff they never had access to), 2) grows at exponential rates3) self regulating4) for the good of all5) multiplayer notepad. (I love that)... though it was first cliched for IRC.

They think that the knowledge won't be audited, and that people will start to follow the wrong principals. But if the wiki is active enough, and they (who are people who can authorize is) are active on it, the knowledge will continue to be passed on, and on and on.

And if someone inhibits those awesome features of a wiki, then I feel the need to passionately fight for the right of freedom too.